US
Dollar Exchange Rates of 31th May
2007
China Yuan
7.646
Report from China
¡¡
China initiates pilot projects for exporting sawnwood
The Fujian Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau recently reported that Fujian Province had been approved
to initiate pilot projects in Putian City and Zhangzhou City. The initiative,
which was approved by the State Forestry Administration, the Ministry of Commerce and
the General Administration of China Customs, aimed to import logs through Putian and Zhangzhou ports, process
logs into sawnwood and then export sawnwood through Fuzhou, Xiamen, Putian, and Zhangzhou ports. This is the
third phase of ongoing pilot projects in the region, and follows projects in Manzhouli City and Erlianhot City.
Japan¡¯s Toyo Plywood Co. to set up poplar LvL factory in China
Japan¡¯s Toyo Plywood Co. Ltd, which has its headquarters in Nagoya, Japan, will establish a poplar laminated veneer
lumber (LvL) factory in Suqian City of Jiangsu Province in China. For the last ten years, Toyo Plywood has relied
on Chinese imports of poplar LvL with a scale of 2500 m3 to 3,000 m3. Toking, Toyo Plywood¡¯s subsidiary in
Shanghai, procures LvL products from several of China¡¯s poplar enterprises. The new poplar LvL factory will provide advance adhesive production technology with the
aim of making its poplar LvL products suitable for manufacturing solid composite flooring.
Shenyang furniture industry begins large scale imports of US hardwoods
China has become a major importer of US hardwoods for three consecutive years. This is due in part to growing
demand for natural timber and wood products from furniture production bases in China, especially those in
Liaoning Province. Ms. Bai Hong, Secretary General of Liaoning Provincial Furniture Association, said that output
value of furniture in Liaoning Province had reached RMB18 billion, creating RMB1 billion of foreign
exchange in 2006, up 20% from 2005. The cost of importing US hardwoods was cheaper than that of other
imported timber. As a result, US hardwood species had become a more popular choice for furniture manufacturing
enterprises in Liaoning province.
Xianghe is ¡®Capital of Northern Furniture Trade¡¯
At an awards ceremony held by the China Furniture Association on 25 April, Xianghe was named the ¡®Capital
of Northern Furniture Trade¡¯. Xianghe is located in Langfang City of Hebei Province, between Beijing and
Tianjin. In the early 1980s, Xianghe was a famous village for furniture making. Since then, it grew to host more than
1,800 production enterprises, whose products had been exported to many domestic and foreign markets. The
leading enterprises have a 1.2 million m2 furniture exhibition hall showcasing around 3,600 brands of
furniture. Xianghe has become the largest northern furniture marketing and distributing center and is the
second largest in all of China. It has received many awards, including for being one of the top ten furniture
wholesale and retail centers, one of the national top ten sites circulating
commercial brands for house furnishings and one of the national top ten house furnishing markets.
New PEFC office opens in China
The Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) has recently opened an office in Beijing, China.
PEFC will provide information and support to government offices and industries and promote PEFC activities in
Asia. PEFC promotes chain-of-custody certification and accounts for two-thirds of the world¡¯s certified forest area,
covering about 200 million ha.
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